These two lamps arrived in the post from Germany yesterday - just wondering if anyone knew anything about them?

My guess is that both lamps date 1900-1920, and the cased glass one is almost certainly German as it bears a lot in common (in terms of shape) with designs by Peter Behrens for AEG c.1900-1910. I've no idea about the origins of the opalescent one, but it appears to have been slumped... with a bit of a helping hand (there are tooling marks in between the ruffles).

Second one might be gas. But they are both a bit generic and could be older than 1900 too. I have a lot of catalogues that cover that period of lighting but nearly all are line or coarse early screened making it near impossible to match to a maker.

It's okay - I'm long past expecting to find specific makers for the bulk of pre-30's lighting now. :lol: Was just after a few suggestions of age and country of origin.

I hadn't pondered the opalescent one originally being from a gas fitting, though. The electric fittings are of the period, but not necessarily original to the shade - so it's very plausibly a marriage.

I'd love to see all the old lighting catalogues online some day - they would make a very interesting read.

I agree that the opalescent shade appears to be a gas lamp shade, likely off-hand made, not slumped.

I am trying to figure out why you are calling the first one "cased"??? I can't tell very well by your photo, but it appears it might have a slight iridescent finish on the outer surface of the glass and if so, it puts me in mind of "Calcite Glass", which Fredrick Carder first developed for lighting fixture globes and shades and was later used to make art glass items too.